Working Handwriting into your Literacy Block

Fitting in handwriting practice is becoming more and more difficult due to the forty bajillion other things that we have to fit in each day, but it is really important. Yes, the world is going digital, but does that mean we are going to just ignore handwriting and raise a generation of kids who can't write legibly? I sure hope not.

I've been searching for something to integrate into my routine to help strengthen handwriting, but couldn't find quite what I was looking for. So I made my own! The practice pack I've created has 180 pages of practice that all follow the same format: a short seasonal or content based rhyme to trace, then copy, then label and color. Coloring is optional, of course, but it might be motivating for some kids and make the practice seem like less of a chore.

I used a special licensed font to create this pack, so all of the letters should match the Zaner-Bloser style of manuscript handwriting. {After sharing this pack on Facebook and Instagram, I've had several requests for cursive versions and a d'nealian version. I have those in the works and should be able to post those in the next couple of weeks!}

Here's a page from the first few days of school. You can see how the rhyming words are right at the end of each line, making it really easy for the kids to read and find the rhymes.

Now here's a page from further in the year. You can see that because we're now using longer sentences, the rhyming words don't appear right at the end of the line. This is a great opportunity to remind the kids to read through to the punctuation, not to stop at the end of the line. To reinforce this concept, consider having them use highlighters to identify the rhymes. I'm planning on modeling this with the kids for a bit until they pick it up on their own.

I specifically made these practice pages rhyme because I found that my kids really seemed to be having some difficulty with the concept over the past couple of years. Now this can be another way to work on that skill. You can also work in some mini-lessons on word families and spelling - see how wear and hair are the rhymes here but are not spelled with the same pattern? Little opportunities for a word work discussion are present throughout the pack.

I included a cover page for each month just in case you want to print out a little pack for each student for the month instead of keeping track of and passing out individual pages each day.

Get all 180 days of practice and cover pages for each month for just $9.50.

This year Im going to start off by using these handwriting activities for my whole class for a few minutes each day. I'm not sure what my schedule looks like yet, I'm thinking maybe when we come back in from lunch or those awkward few minutes that you always have somewhere in your schedule. As the year goes on, I may just move to having the kids who really need the practice work on the pages, or even just send them home with a few. It all depends on the needs of the kids. How do you think you might incorporate some handwriting practice this year?

12 comments

This looks AMAZING! I wish I would have had this product last year. As a 2nd grade teacher, I never had to worry about printing skills until last year. Most of my students needed extra practice and review. Like you, I never found the right tool to meet their needs or the time to fit it in our schedule. I love how this provides just a little practice every day. Thanks for your hard work!

That's awesome! Thanks for the quick reply :) I guess I'll slide this off of my wish list and into my cart now lol. It's so hard to try and fit in handwriting so this will make it much easier to do right after lunch/recess or before specials. Thanks!

Looks good! I start my kinders with handwriting in their journals from day one. It's crazy that some teachers drop handwriting and move everything to technology. I love technology but kids need to know how to print.

I was really excited to see this unit earlier this month as you were finishing it up. I showed it to my entire grade level and we each bought a license! I'll be using it the first 10 or so minutes of the day when I'm taking attendance, lunch count, etc. I'm with other teachers that with all the pressure to cover standards, handwriting is getting less and less attention, and it's getting worse and worse! Thank you for this great unit that helps kids not only practice handwriting, but gives them fluency and rhyming practice!